Definition of a labelling code for the noise emitted by machines

It has been increasingly realised that traditional parameters, such as A-weighted sound levels, sound power and noise spectra in octaves or third octaves are not enough to describe a sound and that machine labels should show more subjective information about the emitted noise. A new labelling system based on empirical data is proposed. The methodology of the study used as the basis for the proposal is explained, as well as the objective and subjective characteristics to be included in the new label. The uses and applications of the label are discussed briefly

Exploring Social Physique Anxiety, Ethnic Identity, and Gender Identity in Exercisers

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships and predictability of ethnic identity, race/ethnicity, and gender identity of social physique anxiety (SPA) in exercisers. Random stratified sampling of two popular exercise chains in the U.S. and snowball sampling resulted in 1,765 regular exerciser participants, including nine different races/ethnicities and eight gender identities. There was a small, negative correlation between SPA and total ethnic identity for the entire sample (rs = -.063, p= .008). For White/European American exercisers, there was a small, negative correlation (rs = -.093, p = .001), and for Black/African American exercisers there was a moderate, negative correlation (rs = -.309, p = .026). There were no other statistically significant correlations between other race/ethnicity groups or mean differences in SPA between racial/ethnic groups. When investigating the predictive value of gender identity and total ethnic identity on SPA, the model was statistically significant [R2 = .010, F (3, 1754) = 5.737, p = .001] and explained 1% of the variance in SPA. There was a unique contribution from total ethnic identity and cisgender women towards SPA, yet both were small. Additional exploratory analyses included testing for differences in ethnic identity between racial/ethnic groups, differences in SPA between genders, and correlations between age and SPA. It appears that there are no large differences in SPA among exercisers when grouped by race/ethnicity or gender, but there may be differences in relationships between SPA and ethnic identity for Black/African American exercisers compared to other racial/ethnic identities

An analysis of the transferability of E-Health solutions

Countries like the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are confronted with several challenges: technological changes, longer life expectancy, population aging and rising health expenditure. The resulting cost pressure forces these countries to change their healthcare systems. As the usage of ICTs especially in e-health solutions is the answer, countries are developing their own national e-health solutions. However, two significant problems arise: firstly, these national e-health solutions are platform centric, meaning that they are suboptimal and not in line with the doctrine of network centric healthcare; secondly, an own development is very costly and time consuming. Consequently, the research question “How can different e-health solutions be transferred to other countries?” is investigated. The methodology used for this exploratory study is based on a mixed research approach. Thereby, an exemplar case study in Australia and an exemplar case study in Germany are conducted. The case study in Australia and the case study in Germany involve unstructured interviews with e-health stakeholders and a questionnaire based on closed-ended questions for the general public. Further, in both countries, an ethnographic study was conducted at a hospital. Thematic analysis is used for analysis of the interview data. The three a priori themes are key factors, barriers and facilitators. The key results of the interviews are presented for each focus (i.e. national, transfer, global) in a separate table. Within each table, the findings are separated for each country and are assigned to the a priori themes as expected findings or emerging findings. Further, the emerging themes are identified and outlined for each focus. Moreover, based on all key findings, the significant findings, such as laws, healthcare systems and culture could be identified. The questionnaire results show that only a few participants are informed about the e-health solution of their country. Furthermore, it is stated that 46 % of the 52 informed participants think that the transferability of e-health solutions across countries is possible. Additionally, there is overall no clear tendency visible that a global e-health solution is seen to be possible in the future. The results of the ethnographic study show that there exist similarities and differences in the context of hip and knee surgeries among the chosen hospitals in Australia and Germany. Further, it is mentioned that e-health solutions on a single stakeholder and national level are suboptimal, if they only address internal issues and are not being designed with a network centric perspective. Therefore, it is stated that the transfer of one suitable national e-health solution to other countries is one way, how countries can implement a national e-health solution with a global/network centric perspective, which is in this way likewise beneficial for the single stakeholders, if they consider and integrate the national e-health solutions into their own e-health solutions and further into their processes, technologies and people. Based on these findings, the discussion is performed. In this way, also the triangulation of the findings is conducted. At the end, the research question and its three sub-questions are answered

Depth of Field Analysis for Multilayer Automultiscopic Displays

With the re-emergence of stereoscopic displays, through polarized glasses for theatrical presentations and shuttered liquid crystal eyewear in the home, automultiscopic displays have received increased attention. Commercial efforts have predominantly focused on parallax barrier and lenticular architectures applied to LCD panels. Such designs suffer from reduced resolution and brightness. Recently, multilayer LCDs have emerged as an alternative supporting full-resolution imagery with enhanced brightness and depth of field. We present a signal-processing framework for comparing the depth of field for conventional automultiscopic displays and emerging architectures comprising multiple light-attenuating layers. We derive upper bounds for the depths of field, indicating the potential of multilayer configurations to significantly enhance resolution and depth of field, relative to conventional designs.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media LaboratoryMIT Camera Culture GroupNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant IIS-1116452)United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. MOSAIC ProgramUnited States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. SCENICC ProgramAlfred P. Sloan Foundation (Research Fellowship)United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (Young Faculty Award

pShuffle: A Plasmid for in vitro Evolution

Multi-gene shuffling is a powerful method used to combine and optimize attributes of various proteins. Here we report on the design and construction of the plasmid “pShuffle” which is suited for a variety of in vitro DNA-recombination techniques. The multiple cloning site (MCS) of pShuffle was designed to allow for the cloning of genes as well as their expression under control of either a lac- or a T7-promoter. As a specific feature, this MCS allows for the fusion of special linker sequences to both ends of cloned genes. After subsequent DNA-recombination steps, these linkers facilitate reamplification of generated gene variants, and thus may be used to construct clone libraries for activity screenings. The suitability of pShuffle for multi-gene shuffling applications was further shown with a set of styrene monooxygenase genes originating from proteo- and actinobacteria

Goodbye to Chi-by-Eye: A Bayesian Analysis of Photometric Binaries in Six Open Clusters

Using Gaia DR3, Pan-STARRS and 2MASS data, we self-consistently define the cluster parameters and binary demographics for the open clusters (OCs) NGC 2168 (M35), NGC 7789, NGC 6819, NGC 2682 (M67), NGC 188, and NGC 6791. These clusters span in age from ~200 Myr (NGC 2168) to more than ~8 Gyr (NGC 6791) and have all been extensively studied in the literature. We use the Bayesian Analysis of Stellar Evolution software suite (BASE-9) to derive the age, distance, reddening, metallicity, binary fraction, and binary mass-ratio posterior distributions for each cluster. We perform a careful analysis of our completeness and also compare our results to previous spectroscopic surveys. For our sample of main-sequence stars with masses between 0.6 - 1 M_Sun, we find that these OCs have similar binary fractions that are also broadly consistent with the field multiplicity fraction. Within the clusters, the binary fraction increases dramatically toward the cluster centers, likely a result of mass segregation. Furthermore nearly all clusters show evidence of mass segregation within the single and binary populations, respectively. The OC binary fraction increases significantly with cluster age in our sample, possibly due to a combination of mass-segregation and cluster dissolution processes. We also find a hint of an anti-correlation between binary fraction and cluster central density as well as total cluster mass, possibly due to an increasing frequency of higher energy close stellar encounters that inhibit long-period binary survival and/or formation.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, and 5 tables. Submitted to Ap

Th17 micro-milieu regulates NLRP1-dependent caspase-5 activity in skin autoinflammation.

IL-1β is a potent player in cutaneous inflammation and central for the development of a Th17 micro-milieu in autoinflammatory diseases including psoriasis. Its production is controlled at the transcriptional level and by subsequent posttranslational processing via inflammatory caspases. In this study, we detected inflammatory caspase-5 active in epidermal keratinocytes and in psoriatic skin lesions. Further, interferon-γ and interleukin-17A synergistically induced caspase-5 expression in cultured keratinocytes, which was dependent on the antimicrobial peptide psoriasin (S100A7). However, diseases-relevant triggers for caspase-5 activity and IL-1β production remain unknown. Recently, extranuclear DNA has been identified as danger-signals abundant in the psoriatic epidermis. Here, we could demonstrate that cytosolic double-stranded (ds) DNA transfected into keratinocytes triggered the activation of caspase-5 and the release of IL-1β. Further, interleukin-17A promoted caspase-5 function via facilitation of the NLRP1-inflammasome. Anti-inflammatory vitamin D interfered with the IL-1β release and suppressed caspase-5 in keratinocytes and in psoriatic skin lesions. Our data link the disease-intrinsic danger signals psoriasin (S100A7) and dsDNA for NLPR1-dependent caspase-5 activity in psoriasis providing potential therapeutic targets in Th17-mediated skin autoinflammation